2023-12-19 17:50:00
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Certain neighborhoods have historically had a reputation for hosting a number of European civil servants. Starting with – obviously – the “European district” where the Commission, the Council, the Parliament and the vibrant Place du Luxembourg (“Plux” in Eurocrat jargon) are grouped just a stone’s throw away. But of course, not all of them live in the district at the heart of the institutions… According to recent data published by Ibsa, these international workers are mainly grouped in the municipalities south of the Pentagon and in the southwest of Brussels.
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In addition to the extended entity of Brussels City which welcomed 5,850 European and international workers, the municipalities most popular with these profiles are Ixelles (5,772 in 2022), Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (4,405) and Etterbeek (4,295). On the other hand, the northwest of the capital is substantially neglected by international workers. There are in fact only 103 employees of these institutions in Ganshoren, the least attractive municipality for these employees. Less sought-following localities also include Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Jette and Koekelberg.
This geographical repair does not surprise the European civil service union Renouveau et Démocratie. “Workers want to be as close as possible to their work and to European schools,” notes Cristiano Sebastiani, president of the union, who specifies that no policy of directing employees towards certain neighborhoods is in force.
The mayor of Etterbeek, a municipality often presented as a Eurocrat stronghold, sees this international presence as “very enriching”. A citizens’ assembly “in’Etterbeek” was also created to explain the specificities of life in Brussels. “We do conferences, visits…” says Vincent De Wolf (MR), who recalls that 48.8% of its population is not Belgian. “The increase in the presence of these workers is constant. Before, it was mainly French and Italians. Now, there is great diversity,” says the mayor of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Olivier Maingain (Défi). For Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo), “this diversity is the richness of Ixelles”. The mayor notes that, for several years, “European civil servants have had a more committed approach to their city, and are attached to Brussels”.
Where workers from European and international institutions live in Brussels ©IPM Graphics
“People are resigning because Brussels is too expensive”
Like a refrain, however, one criticism often comes up in conversations, and arouses tension among some Brussels residents: European workers do not pay all of their taxes in Belgium. Among other things, they pay real estate taxes, but are not subject to personal income tax.
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A problem for local finances? “No, we are not following a mercantile logic. Yes, some people pay less taxes. But they are welcome and participate in local life and solidarity efforts,” notes De Wolf. “But of course I would prefer that civil servants pay their taxes in Etterbeek… but also Walloon and Flemish commuters, rather than where they live.”
In Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, on the other hand, Olivier Maingain is sounding the alarm more than his Etterbeek neighbor: “this unbalances our municipal finances. And it’s up to Belgian nationals to compensate.” Another consequence: “real estate prices are soaring”, observed by the Woluwéen, who outlines two solutions in his eyes, namely the establishment of a differentiated withholding tax and the payment directly to the municipalities of part of the financial windfall granted by the Union to the Belgian State.
The union, for its part, intends to break the myth of the rich European civil servant like Croesus, who only settles in nice neighborhoods by causing, in a snowball effect, prices to rise. “Many workers, especially in agencies, have modest salaries. People are resigning because Brussels is too expensive for them in relation to their salary,” indicates Cristiano Sebastiani, who mentions the difficulties in finding workers from certain countries due to a lack of attractiveness.
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Brabant attracts
Over the years, we have also noticed that Flemish Brabant attracts more and more international people. There were 7,844 in 2022 in the Flemish Province around Brussels, compared to 7,464 in 2016. An increase which does not surprise the union. “Like other Brussels residents, civil servants are leaving Brussels. Hybrid work (teleworking and face-to-face) has become the rule. It therefore becomes possible to be outside Brussels.”
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On the other hand, the number of expatriates in Wallonia is stagnating. In 2022, only 2,579 employees resided in Walloon Brabant.
Note that Italians constitute the most represented nationality in the European sphere, with more than 5,500 workers in 2022. Then follow the French, the Spanish and the Germans.
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